1 June 2016

Come what May

Hello my lovely ones! Long time, no blogging. I was planning to make my first post back an update; however, the end of May caught up with me and I really wanted to do a monthly roundup . Two of my new resolutions are:

Do what makes me happy

Celebrate the positive things

Ticking two boxes in one? Sounds good to me. Recovery is up, down... and around... with a few inversions thrown in for good measure. Part of wellbeing is learning to reflect on the good things. While this is certainly not a summation of my entire month, it is a reminder to myself that the silver linings are always there. So without further ado, here's what came in May...

May Dressing

Pinafores complete me. They are a homecoming to my inner five-year-old, a weight-restoring girl's best friend and the best garment a dog walker can buy - hello treat-stashing pockets. It's safe to say, I'm a bit pinafore crazy.

Along with this denim dream, I have another Topshop creation (along with half the world it seems) and am currently on the lookout for a light blue denim creation. Any guidance on where to go, I am all ears!

May Viewing

It's safe to say I had a lot of TV viewing to catch up on, when I arrived home from hospital #problemsofacommunallounge. Being the pacifist I am, I opted for obsessive knitting over remote monopolising, so missed out on the War and Peacetrain, The Night Manager plane and half a dozen episodes of Dance Moms - my dad's idea of a sinking ship.

Two months later and all caught up, one definitely came out on top. As much as I love Mr Hiddleston, War and Peace was something else. It may just be the best series I have ever watched, exempting Game of Thrones - Once a Khaeleesi always a Khalessi. The music, the costuming, the cinematography, the script... the acting. Pierre was especially brilliant, although I will always have time for anything Lily James is in.

I will openly admit I have never read the book. I think I will attempt to, someday... perhaps. For now, however, I will happily content myself with memories of Natasha's ball gown (Lily James knows how to pick the "princess moment" roles) and listening to the incredible soundtrack. Onto more current viewing...

Game of Thrones is BACK. I will leave it at that, for risk of spoilers. Let's just say, IT'S BACK, night has come and I would happily be nocturnal for eternity. How can we have only four episodes left?!

Moving onto the guilty pleasures... this first one is for Abbie. Dance Moms! So I am officially team JoJo - she has the most refreshing outlook on life and, let's face it, there's always time for a bow (bow). It is a guilty pleasure, but everyone needs one of those shows, right? Along with MIC, which is as hilariously awkward as ever. Rosie is still hanging around, Jamie is still tooling and basically the only person I like is Digby. Yes, the dog. Says it all, but I love it.

photo credit: Marie Claire.com

May Listening

I was genuinely been checking Itunes daily, hoping the War and Peace Soundtrack will have appeared. I tweeted the BBC... I tweeted Lily James! As luck May have it, the 13th was the opposite of jinxed. From that day, my playlist was transformed. No pressure June. I'm currently trying to figure out some of the melodies on the piano, which is a work in progress. Keep calm and play on.

On a topical note, soundtrack are a revision godsend. It has always worked for me, since before GCSE. Lord of the Rings, Narnia, The Theory of Everything. The list goes on. Now that those exam days are behind me, I use music to help me manage anxiety.

I will do an exclusive post for this at some point in the near future, but it is a life-saver for me. I am currently loving Birdy's new album, particularly Wild Horses and the title song Beautiful Lies. Also making an appearance is some old-school Adele. regretfully, I have had to say an iPod goodbye to her latest hit. It must have called the hospital radio a thousand times. No more!

So I am saying farewell to the month with these go-to songs, come what May, they have brightened my day.

In tribute to my newfound love of crafting, I spontaneously decided to take out a three month subscription to Mollie Makes! The offer they had was simply too good to resist. Not only was this a good "challenge to my money-spending anxieties, but they often come with "do-if-yoursel" projects. Last but not least, the crochet cherry on top is the name itself - it's practically related to Millie right down to the ie spelling #winning.

I am also continuing my love for The Simple Things, thanks to my mum's christmas present of a year-long subscription. Too many subscriptions? Maybe... oops. However, seeing as my ultimate blogger/journalist dream is to work for one of these publications, my postbox is very happy for the time being.

May Crafting

March was the month of knitting, while April saw the discovery of the Crochet Cafe. The craft creations of May? Paper Cutting! I have been a bit inspired ever since I stumbled upon an article in the February edition of Mollie Makes. Given my haphazard approach to crafts, this was a potentially dangerous venture. I will admit that I now keep a supply of *Jane Austen* plasters in my craft box, but I am really pleased with what I've managed to create so far!

I'm currently working on some designs for Birthday cards, including my Millie moo. Dogs appreciate cards, right? My favourite creation so far is the John Snow design, courtesy of Pinterest. I now have a whole board dedicated to Paper craft, so if you're interested in starting take a look.

I am still knitting and crocheting away; you can't stop me that easily. My perfectionism did get the better of me earlier in the month - I couldn't even decide on a project to start. However, I'm happy to say that I'm back on the Yarn and happier for it. Expect a lot of craft posts from Bumble and Be in the coming months!

May Snacking

I am currently a little obsessed with Popcorn. I never used to like it, but when I spotted this "Peanut and Almond" Propercorn in Waitrose, I had to give it a try. Since that fateful day, I have been converted. I also enjoy good ol' "sweet and salty", which is particularly lovely sprinkled with cinnamon or ginger. I recommend!

It is hard to believe that my love for peanut butter only began three months ago. Before then, I always found it too salty. However, barely a week into the inpatient snack list of monkey nuts, Jordan's 'absolute nut' bars and PB on toast, I was practically a peanut myself.

One of my lil' recovery mantras is "getting peanut better". Simply put, as long as peanuts exist, I will not be enslaved to fat fears. My other love right now are Peanut trek bars. The combination of the sweet dates and salty nuttiness is goodness in all its glory. Goodness me I sound like John and Greg on Masterchef. No apologies there!

Last week also saw my RETURN TO BAKING. I haven't baked at home in years. The lack of nutrient and calorie information was always a big anxiety with anorexia, but since coming out of hospital I have been determined to get my Mary Berry on. I decided to start with something simple, which I could have as a daily snack option. Enter Deliciously Ella's "banana breakfast bars". With Banana, cashew butter, oats and honey, they were - fittingly - delicious. I will definitely be making again!